A feathered retreat

This winter, perched in trees will be more than 60 birdhouses welcoming over 200 winged visitors to the warmth of a nest.

Over 60 birdhouses in the garden of Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya will provide cozy comfort to the avian visitors coming into the city, this winter

This winter, perched in trees will be more than 60 birdhouses welcoming over 200 winged visitors to the warmth of a nest. As the two- acre garden of Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya with its cherry plants and kaali maina shrubs creates just the right kind of environment for the birds to nestle in its greenery, Yuvraj Shah, secretary, Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya gears up to offer a lot more to them. The garden which is a green paradise and every year attracts a large number of birds will have more than just greenery in store this season for them this season.

8220;Birds, like humans, go where they feel welcomed. They prefer gardens that offer fresh water, plentiful food, and comfortable shelter. In addition to birdbaths and feeders, birdhouses are an essential part of creating the right atmosphere for birds in a garden. Our garden, which is on the dongar, attracts birds because of the height. I have been observing the birds coming to our garden every year so finally I decided we should do something for their comfort,8221; says Yuvraj Shah.

And thus started Shah8217;s quest to turn the garden into a bird sanctuary. Around 15 days back when Shah spotted an old stack of wooden desks and benches, he did not pause even for a while to give the whole idea a second thought. 8220;Just the next day I hired a carpenter to make birdhouses but before that I researched about the structure of birdhouses because the carpenter wouldn8217;t know how to go about it,8221; says he.

After an extensive research on the structure of birdhouses, Shah came to the conclusion that the whole process is not as simple as it appears. 8220;You have to be very careful while getting it made. It8217;s not just a small house having walls and slanting roof with a circular hole. They should also have ventilation and drainage holes, without these the birdhouse will be like an oven and would also get damp and so will invite unwanted parasites,8221; says he.

The garden, which for the winters will have more than 60 birdhouses hanging from various trees, will also have five different varieties of shrubs, which will bear fruits palatable for the birds. 8221; We are planting cherries, kali maina and few other shrubs across the garden, which all are just loved by the birds. That is why for the winters we have come up with made birdhouses that are made up of sangwaan wood. We have used 2x 6 inches sagwaan to make them. The thickness of it provides some insulation against both heat and cold,8221; elaborates Shah

However Shah plans to modify the structure of the birdhouses to suit the season. 8220;This time the birdhouses that we have made are slightly thicker than the normal ones. We plan to replace the birdhouses in the summers. Thinning the thickness of it and opening more vents for proper ventilation we will change the structure to suit the summer season,8221; says he.